Hello
First time post. I've gotten a lot of good info from previous posts but this is my 1st ask.
Older man here. Inherited 55 Pan from brother. He's not dead. He just didn't have time or ambition to keep this thing going. It was a 70's style chopper when he bought it back in the day, back from Vietnam and feeling the need to ride. He rode this for many years then parked it, in his 10th floor apartment in Honolulu. He retired and came back to mainland but before that he offered me the bike if I could get it out and shipped. I'm in Massachusetts. Anyway, got it done. Came to me in boxes and for the last 6 years I've been picking at it. I retired so now I have the time to finish some projects.
Bike is period correct now as far as it's looks. Not all original. I used aftermarket where I had to, just based on my fixed income cheap old man lifestyle.
I did not rebuild motor. My brother told me he had motor done before he put her away. I took the heads off, cam cover etc and inspected and cleaned and replaced gaskets.
So.. when I got it to the point of trying to kick her over, way to much effort to operate kicker. Get to the nine o'clock position and jump down, no movement for 3 or for jumps then finally it spins and fires. Have had this thing running multiple times but never gets any easier. Thought it might just need to run in, but I'm not sure. I asked big brother for input but he has no clue. Twenty plus years since he took her down.
So, I checked compression, Normal and same both cylinders. Does turn over easier with plugs out. Linkert M74 carb, seems fine. Solid lifters and push-rods and and Andrews A cam.
Brother has no recollection of these mods. I can't find any good info on this cam , i.e. if head work was required or if it was a drop in. I have checked all tolerances and corrected them per factory specs. One of the push-rods was in the wrong place. Three equal one longer, the longer one was not where it should have been. That I confirmed and also triple confirmed with all the great post on this subject that I've seen here. No change in the amount of effort it takes to start this thing. Brutal and I'm old. I have 3 other kick start bikes, this ain't normal.
I'm thinking the rebuild is maybe not a pro job as brother stated.
Spring is coming and I'm thinking maybe go back to stock cam and hydrolic lifters and push-rods and redo all tolerances, timing ect.
Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks folks!
Todd
First time post. I've gotten a lot of good info from previous posts but this is my 1st ask.
Older man here. Inherited 55 Pan from brother. He's not dead. He just didn't have time or ambition to keep this thing going. It was a 70's style chopper when he bought it back in the day, back from Vietnam and feeling the need to ride. He rode this for many years then parked it, in his 10th floor apartment in Honolulu. He retired and came back to mainland but before that he offered me the bike if I could get it out and shipped. I'm in Massachusetts. Anyway, got it done. Came to me in boxes and for the last 6 years I've been picking at it. I retired so now I have the time to finish some projects.
Bike is period correct now as far as it's looks. Not all original. I used aftermarket where I had to, just based on my fixed income cheap old man lifestyle.
I did not rebuild motor. My brother told me he had motor done before he put her away. I took the heads off, cam cover etc and inspected and cleaned and replaced gaskets.
So.. when I got it to the point of trying to kick her over, way to much effort to operate kicker. Get to the nine o'clock position and jump down, no movement for 3 or for jumps then finally it spins and fires. Have had this thing running multiple times but never gets any easier. Thought it might just need to run in, but I'm not sure. I asked big brother for input but he has no clue. Twenty plus years since he took her down.
So, I checked compression, Normal and same both cylinders. Does turn over easier with plugs out. Linkert M74 carb, seems fine. Solid lifters and push-rods and and Andrews A cam.
Brother has no recollection of these mods. I can't find any good info on this cam , i.e. if head work was required or if it was a drop in. I have checked all tolerances and corrected them per factory specs. One of the push-rods was in the wrong place. Three equal one longer, the longer one was not where it should have been. That I confirmed and also triple confirmed with all the great post on this subject that I've seen here. No change in the amount of effort it takes to start this thing. Brutal and I'm old. I have 3 other kick start bikes, this ain't normal.
I'm thinking the rebuild is maybe not a pro job as brother stated.
Spring is coming and I'm thinking maybe go back to stock cam and hydrolic lifters and push-rods and redo all tolerances, timing ect.
Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks folks!
Todd
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